The event will feature food by Elm Street Bakery, wine provided by Reed’s Wines and Liquors, beer, music by Doug Yeomans, and a custom-made cherry coffee table handcrafted by local artisan Jim Conell-Cordes and valued at $2,800. Raffle tickets for the coffee table are available for $10 each or three for $25. The drawing will take place the night of the event.

Dave Bauer made a career out of teaching environmental science to teenagers, and now that he’s retired, he wants to cut back a little bit. No, not on teaching students about his love for the environment and the great outdoors. That will never change.

What he would like to do is cut back on the age of the students a wee bit, and bring his message to the kindergarten through grade three population … and their parents, teachers, librarians, principals and school administrators.

The Western New York Land Conservancy will host a special talk at the Niagara Falls Public Library with featured speaker Sally Cunningham at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4. Sally is the author of the nationally popular gardening book “Great Garden Companions” and is well known in Western New York from her regular segments on Channel 4 News and articles in The Buffalo News.

Sally will describe the critical importance of native plants and she will share ways that all Western New Yorkers can use natives in their own yards and gardens, just as the Land Conservancy is doing in the Niagara Gorge.

Explore Buffalo is excited to offer another year of the Buffalo Architecture Course and Adventures in Buffalo History Fall Speaker Series!

FALL 2017 ARCHITECTURE COURSE: BUFFALO INTERIORS 1017 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24Meet: Explore Buffalo’s headquarters in First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo (across from Kleinhans Music Hall). Parking is available in the church lot, which can be accessed from Pennsylvania Street, or on any surrounding side streets.Cost: General $40, Student $35, Explorer Pass $35

Even with the calendar nearly ready to turn to October, there’s no slowdown in the amount of quality tours being offered by Explore Buffalo!

TURN OF THE CENTURY TREASURES9:30 a.m. Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27Meet: Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington St., Buffalo, corner of Washington and Mohawk streets. Two-hour parking is available on surrounding streets, and the Mohawk Parking Ramp is on the opposite corner. The Lafayette Square Station of the Metro Rail is around the corner on Main Street.Cost: General $15, Student $5, Explorer Pass Free

The popular and growing WNY Children’s Book Expo (WNYCBE), the area’s premier literary event for children, returns in November and will culminate with a special event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

The six-day event kicks off with KidsLit Week from Nov. 6-10, during which nearly 40 internationally acclaimed authors will visit area schools, libraries, museums and cultural venues to inspire a love of books in students from pre-k through middle school. Expo Saturday, on Nov. 11, is a day-long showcase of new and beloved books written for kids. Here, local, national and international authors will interact directly with children (and parents, teachers and school officials) through readings, book-signings, presentations and demonstrations.

Buffalo Solar Solutions Inc., the successful solar energy startup that opened in South Buffalo in 2015, is expanding into the Southern Tier with the opening of a second location. The new office will be located at 13 West Main St. in Cuba, N.Y.

“Solar energy just makes good sense down there,” said Tyler Uebelhoer, who owns and operates Buffalo Solar Solutions along with his wife, Alicia. “We chose Cuba because we know we can help a lot of people. If you look at any electric bill from that area, you will notice that residents are being charged almost 30 percent more per kilowatt hour.”